Joe Shaw (footballer, born 1928)

Joseph Shaw (23 June 1928 – 18 November 2007) was an English footballer who played for Sheffield United between 1945 and 1966. He also worked as a manager, being in charge of York City from 1967 to 1968 and Chesterfield from 1973 to 1976.

Joe Shaw
Shaw lining up for England in 1959
Personal information
Full name Joseph Shaw[1]
Date of birth (1928-06-23)23 June 1928[1]
Place of birth Murton, England[2]
Date of death 18 November 2007(2007-11-18) (aged 79)
Place of death Sheffield, England
Position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Youth career
Upton Colliery
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1945–1966 Sheffield United 632 (7)
International career
Football League XI 2 (?)
Managerial career
1967–1968 York City
1973–1976 Chesterfield
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Statue of Shaw outside Bramall Lane, 2012

Career

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Shaw made 714 appearances for Sheffield United in all competitions, including 632 in the League and 53 FA Cup ties, all three being club records. Shaw was a former Durham County schoolboy who joined United from Upton Colliery as an inside-forward and later successfully converted into a half back.

He played for United in two wartime fixtures in the Football League North during the 1944–45 season. The first game was a 3–1 victory over Huddersfield Town on 2 April 1945 when Shaw was just 16 years and 285 days old.

His League debut came in a Division One game against Liverpool on 30 August 1948, with United severely short of players, as a left-back. United lost 2–1, mainly against 10 men. Shaw was off the field with a bleeding nose when the first went in after around 21 minutes, missing a quarter of an hour of the first half and the majority of the second.

In the next few years he played at wing half and right half, but after two heavy defeats in season 1954–55, Reg Freeman decided to select him at centre half. He was described as hard-working, the pivot of United's "double banking" defensive system, where his lack of height never let him down owing to his superb anticipation and ability to read the game.

He was so successful that he was selected for the position for the Football League XI although the England cap that many thought he deserved was never awarded. In 1951, he also toured Australia with a Football Association team.

His 600th League appearance came on 6 February 1965 in a 2–1 victory over West Ham United and his last game was against the same team on 19 February 1966. He had three spells as team captain, 1954–1956, 1957 and 1964–1965.

He died at the age of 79 on 18 November 2007 in Sheffield.[1][3] In 2010, a statue of Shaw was erected at the Bramall Lane home of Sheffield United, to commemorate his service to the club.[4]

Career statistics

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Season Division League
Apps
League
Goals
FA Cup
Apps
FA Cup
Goals
League Cup
Apps
League Cup
Goals
Other
Apps
Other
Goals
Total
Apps
Total
Goals
1944–45 North 2 2
1948–49 One 19 2 21
1949–50 Two 37 2 3 2 42 2
1950–51 Two 36 2 1 37 2
1951–52 Two 39 1 5 2 1 46 2
1952–53 Two 42 3 1 46
1953–54 One 35 1 2 3 40 1
1954–55 One 41 1 1 43
1955–56 One 20 1 21
1956–57 Two 30 1 1 32
1957–58 Two 41 4 3 48
1958–59 Two 41 6 2 49
1959–60 Two 39 3 2 44
1960–61 Two 42 7 1 50
1961–62 One 37 5 5 47
1962–63 One 40 3 1 44
1963–64 One 41 1 3 44 1
1964–65 One 25 3 28
1965–66 One 27 2 29
Total 632 7 51 7 24 1 714 8

Managerial statistics

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Team Nat From To Record
G W L D Win %
York City   1 November 1967 1 August 1968 31 9 13 9 29.03
Chesterfield   1 September 1973 1 October 1976 143 54 53 36 36.87

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Joe Shaw". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Blades legend dies at 79". The Star. Sheffield. 19 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Passing of a Blade". Sheffield United F.C. 18 November 2007. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007.
  4. ^ "From Portal to Plinth: The Sporting Statues Project". Sheffield Hallam University. p. Joe Shaw. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
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